FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The first week of Organized Team Activities (OTA) is in the books and four starters were not present: Julio Jones, Deion Jones, Grady Jarrett and Vic Beasley.
It's important to note the offseason workout program is voluntary – players are not required to be in attendance until mandatory minicamp starts June 11-13.
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Two players – the Joneses – are apparently wrapping up some rehab, Falcons coach Dan Quinn said.
"Deion and [Julio] are still working on some rehab and finalizing some of that," Quinn said. "We'll get a chance to visit with them later on. [I've] certainly talked with all of them."
Since the 2018 season concluded, the Falcons have said one of their top offseason priorities is getting Julio Jones a new contract and that still remains the case. General manager Thomas Dimitroff said he is "very encouraged" by the way contract talks are going with Jones' representation.
The Falcons have also reportedly started contract talks with Deion Jones who has one year left on his rookie contract. Jones has become one of Atlanta's best players on defense and is coming off a season in which he missed 10 games with a foot injury.
Falcons picked up Beasley's fifth-year option, but he has opted to not attend. His production this season will likely determine his long-term fate in Atlanta. With that being said, these workouts are voluntary as mentioned earlier and it's not as if Beasley isn't training, he's still working on his craft, just on his own.
"He wanted to stay doing the training that he's doing," Quinn said of Beasley. "But yeah, of course, there's nothing like the on-field stuff."
Similar to Julio Jones, a long-term deal for Jarrett is something the Falcons have been working on for a while now. The Falcons placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jarrett back in March and the defensive tackle signed his tender on April 22. Placing the tag on Jarrett gives the Falcons and Jarrett's camp more time to continue the negotiation process while ensuring Jarrett remains in Atlanta.
The Falcons have until July 15 to reach an agreement with Jarrett on a long-term extension or he will play under a one-year deal worth a reported $15,209,000.
